108. Lessons from a Younger You | No One Knows Your Journey and Vision Like You Do

Here’s the challenge: So many women in midlife hit a wall, wondering “Is it too late to become who I hoped I’d be? … Have I lost touch with the ‘real me’?” Surprise! Sometimes you need a break from pushing forward for life transformation and, instead, reach back. Get curious and be excited as you discover this unique way to draw upon your old story to create your new one of transformation in your “second act” of life.

To reclaim your potential now and reach for whatever midlife-plus goal means the most to you without distractions, and with energy come work with me one-on-one! Just send an email to hello@laurieadamscoaching.com to schedule a no-pressure conversation/Q & A about individual coaching. We’ll explore the goal that has eluded you most, including weight loss if that’s the important one for you. Together, let’s edit the story of you so you’ll never want to put your own book down,

Also mentioned in this episode
Transformation role model Alana Tillim’s TedX talk:
https://youtu.be/AMYJEAll-Ro?si=rZJ2LTyHtRIwpdnB

This episode was produced by The Podcast Teacher: www.ThePodcastTeacher.com.

Transcript

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Hi, and welcome to the Fire Up at 55 Plus Podcast, a show about how to put yourself first in your second act of life. I'm Certified Life and Weight Loss Coach Lori Adams, here to empower you to let go of guilt, take charge of your health, then find and fulfill your dreams. It's never too late, so let's get started. Today we're taking a unique self-journey, and it's so great to have you back for this episode. It's number 108, titled Lessons from a Younger You. I'm your host, Lori Adams, ready today to get you out of stuck mode and into energy for joy and purpose. So get curious and be excited as you hear how to draw upon your old story to create your new story, one of transformation in your second act of life. Here's the challenge. So many women in midlife hit a wall, wondering, is it too late to become who I'd hoped to be? Have I lost touch with the real me? You look around at your body, your house, maybe your spouse, your calendar, or your grown kids, your job, or a boring retirement and think, where did I go? You've given, you've supported, you've stretched most all of your life, and now you're unsure where you begin and where everyone else ends. This is especially common for women fifty five and beyond. The fire dims, the doubts rise. So surprise, today I'm going to tell you that sometimes you need a break from pushing forward for life transformation and instead reaching back. Not to dwell in the past, but to wake up something powerful within you. And that's where today's unique solution begins because I want to take you back in time, specifically to the twenty year old you. Whether that was in the nineteen sixties, nineteen seventies, or nineteen eighties, you were living through some serious change. If you were twenty in the nineteen sixties, you witnessed or joined movements for civil rights, women's liberation, and peace. You saw the moon landing, you questioned everything. There were assassinations, there was war. But as you did question and get curious, you started building your own voice. You were bold because the world needed bold. If you were twenty in the nineteen seventies, you came of age in a time of gritty realism and self discovery. The Equal Rights Amendment, Roe vs. Wade, Gloria Steinem. You may have been the first woman in your family to say and to say out loud, no, I want more than what's expected. If you were twenty in the nineteen eighties, you danced to Madonna, you said I can have a career and a family. You rocked shoulder pads and ambition. You were told you could have it all, and you believed it, even when the world pushed back. But here's the truth. Your twenty year old self? She was already a fire starter. She wanted more, she said yes to possibilities. And if she could see you now, she wouldn't criticize your wrinkles or the weight gain. She wouldn't care about your messy house or your grown up regrets. She would cheer for that time you said no when you always used to say yes, the moment you stood up for your peace of mind, the brave decision to start therapy, get a life coach, get healthy, change careers, end toxic relationships, or to start over even in your sixties and beyond. She'd stand on a chair and shout You didn't give up on me. There's a great TEDx talk from a woman named Alana Tillam. She's a fifty something entrepreneur, a motivational speaker and business coach. Alana tells her story of twenty something transformation she experienced after a life changing moment on a plane on the LAX Airport runway. Quote, it felt like being shot out of a cannon in a tin can over boulders at a few hundred miles an hour, she said. Then she began to live more intentionally, first by timidly, but quickly, not wasting any time, booking another flight. Recently, recalling her plane ride, she was reminded, she said, of me as a young girl who quit her day job and started working with kids, and now has worked with tens of thousands of them over nearly thirty years. Through Move with Purpose, Alana inspires these kids, she provides scholarships to them, she mentors and finds mentors, and she runs an inclusive dance company that uplifts underserved communities. Before this TEDx talk, Alana began by reviewing her journals. She'd been a journaler through the years. If you have to, you can do the same. Or you can start a journal of recollections now. And a powerful way to connect you at twenty to the you now at midlife is by writing a letter from your twenty year old self to your current self. That's a little bit of the opposite of what we usually hear. Let the twenty year old, let you at that age say what needs to be said, such as I see you, I remember your fire, and I want to thank you for let her celebrate your survival, applaud your transformation, forgive your missteps, remind you of your wild dreams, and invite you to dream again. This isn't about nostalgia, it's about reclaiming your power because you are still becoming at whatever midlife age you are. Your twenty year old self wasn't perfect, but she had the courage of youth. And you can draw upon that optimism to rekindle your potential now. In addition to Alana, I'm going to help you imagine what this kind of reflection might stir up, and I'm going to give you just some illustrations, stories inspired by the kinds of transformations midlife women often experience when they pause to connect with their younger selves. These are not real life examples, but real as far as what commonly happens. So let's imagine someone called Julie, age sixty two. Her twenty year old self reminds her she once dreamed of writing a book. So now? She fulfills that by getting up thirty minutes earlier every day and writes just one paragraph. Her dream is slowly but steadily coming alive. What about your dream? Picture say Rita, age fifty eight, who used to believe she was stuck in a body that couldn't change. But the twenty year old version of her called BS on that. Today she's lost twelve pounds, feels stronger than she has in years, and is walking taller, literally and figuratively. And then there's someone we call Angela, age sixty seven, writing her letter brought tears. It helped her release long held guilt from a divorce decades ago. She said I never imagined my younger self could help me forgive my older one. Think of sixty one year old Denise. She always used to tell people she wasn't the creative type, but when she imagined her twenty year old self who once painted every weekend, she realized that version of her was just waiting to be invited back. Now Denise keeps a small set of watercolors by her window and paints while listening to jazz. She says it feels joyful and like coming home. Or finally, age seventy year old Marilyn, her younger self reminds her of the guts it took to backpack through Europe in the seventies. That same adventurous spirit nudged her recently to take a solo train trip up the west coast. She booked the ticket, packed a journal, and came back feeling thirty years younger, not in age, but in aliveness. As I said, these aren't specific individuals, but they reflect very real stories and possibilities that we hear for women trying to transform and achieving transformation at midlife and beyond. Maybe your journal of recollections or a letter will spark something just as powerful. Your twenty year old self may be, well just the most encouraging, forgiving, and fierce part of you that you've forgotten to carry along with you every day. Then ask, what can I do today to make us from age twenty to now even prouder, age fifty and beyond tomorrow? What can I do tomorrow? And cheer yourself on. Maybe standing on a chair with a big shout. The second act of your life doesn't mean constant pushing through. You can reset now with a deliberate review of your younger life. Remember, this story of renewal is authored beautifully by you. Let's edit it so you never want to put your storybook down. I can't wait to see how your 2025 transformation tale unfolds with the utmost fulfillment. Again, I'm Lori Adams and I love podcasting here, but I love even more working with women like you as your own life coach to reclaim your potential and reach for whatever midlife goal plus means the most to you without distractions and with individual guidance. Come work with me one on one. Just send an email to hello at LoriAdamsCoing dot com to schedule a no pressure conversation and Q ⁇ A about individual coaching. We'll explore the goal that has eluded you most, including weight loss if that's the important one for you. The story of you deserves that individual attention. And to keep the transformational information coming each week, please follow FireUp at 55 Plus wherever you download your podcasts. And if on Apple, share a review and a star worthy rating. It's much appreciated.